South Korea will conduct the first joint firepower exercise under the Lee Jae-myung administration, with major units of the military participating.
The Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that the "2026 Joint Firepower Exercise" will be held over three days — on the 18th, 21st, and 26th of this month — at the Seungjin Firing Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The exercise is the first joint firepower drill since the launch of the people's sovereignty government, and is being carried out to demonstrate the military's firm readiness posture and joint operations capabilities amid a grave security environment, the ministry explained.
In particular, the live-fire and maneuver training of the military's advanced joint forces will be shown to the general public. A flight demonstration by the Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team is also scheduled.
An equipment tour will also be set up, where visitors can view and experience the main equipment of Korea's defense industry as well as newly fielded weapons systems.
The ministry plans to recruit a public observer group to watch the exercise from the 6th through the 10th.
The public observer group will consist of about 400 people for each of the viewing days, for a total of about 1,200 people. Applications can be submitted through the Ministry of National Defense's official website and social media channels.
The firepower demonstration, which brings together major units of the military, was first held in 1977, making this the 13th edition.
"Marking the first anniversary of the launch of the people's sovereignty government, we will embody our will for self-reliant national defense based on independent defense capabilities and jointness, and showcase the operational capabilities of joint forces grounded in advanced science and technology, so that we can forcefully leap forward as a 'military of the people,'" the Ministry of National Defense said.
